Transmission problems always spell trouble for your bank account. So let’s see why your Dodge Durango transmission is making a clang noise when shifting from Drive to Neutral.
What Transmission Do I Have?
According to the technical service bulletin TSB 21-010-12, this issue affects the 2011 – 2012 Dodge Durango equipped with either the 65RFE transmission, or the 545RFE automatic transmission.
What happens is, owners will experience a loud clang or bang noise coming from the transmission when they shift from Drive to Neutral. This noise will get increasingly worse as the transmission heats up. The problem is caused by the separator plate inside of the valve body, which for some reason was not updated during this model year. Changes were made inside of the transmission regarding the solenoids and check balls, and that required a new design separator plate.
Chrysler recommends changing the separator plate, which is a pretty obvious solution. However if you got a few miles on your truck by now, you might want to consider investing in a remanufactured 65RFE transmission or remanufactured 545RFE transmission from a company like Street Smart Transmission. They completely reengineered these transmissions to fix the factory design flaws, then they back them with a 3-year/unlimited mile nationwide warranty. If you’d like to learn more about the reman 65RFE, click here. And here for the reman 545RFE.
How much is it going to cost to fix my transmission?
Unfortunately, the problem described here will require the removal and disassembly/partial disassembly of your transmission. Given the labor time involved to remove the transmission from the vehicle (this is not a simple task), most repair shops will recommend that you go ahead and rebuild the entire transmission while it’s out. Since they already have to tear it down, it sort of makes sense to spend the extra money to do that. After all, you should get a lot more mileage out of your transmission once it’s rebuilt. And since they’ve already got the transmission apart, might as well, right? Well let’s take a closer look and find out.
Why a remanufactured transmission might be a good option
While you might not be able to buy a brand-new transmission for your particular vehicle, a remanufactured transmission is a terrific alternative. They’re completely reengineered from the ground up and put together on a factory assembly line. They often contain a lot of upgrades over their stock form, which means that many of the design flaws that result in premature failure of components, can be eliminated. This can give a reman transmission a much longer service life than it originally had.
Remanufactured transmission companies like Street Smart Transmission put each of their reman transmissions through a rigorous build process that ensures a quality product every time. It begins with nearly 100 trained technicians that specialize in different aspects of the build process.
Once the build is complete and it passes the final quality control inspection, the newly remanufactured transmission is sent to the dyno room, where it’s tested on a special dyno machine using a proprietary software program called C.A.R.S. (Computer Aided Real-world Simulation). This cycles the transmission through a number of real-world driving situations, to ensure that it performs according to the factory specs. It also helps to break in all of the friction components, that way it’s completely tuned and ready to go once it’s installed.
Warranty – One of the benefits of buying a remanufactured transmission vs. a rebuilt transmission is the warranty. Street Smart Transmission for example, covers all of their reman transmissions with a 3 Year/Unlimited Mileage Nationwide Warranty (there is a mileage restriction for commercial vehicles). This covers parts and labor for transmission repairs performed by any licensed repair shop in the country. It’s also completely transferable if you ever decide to sell the vehicle. Compared to a mechanics warranty on a transmission rebuild, a remanufactured transmission warranty offers superior financial protection.
What Transmission Do I Have?
So is a remanufactured transmission worth it?
If you plan to keep your vehicle for as long as possible, then getting a rebuilt transmission is certainly a viable option. However, a remanufactured transmission is actually a much better alternative in the long run. You’re getting as close to a brand-new transmission as possible. Companies like Street Smart Transmission also modify the transmission to correct all of the factory design flaws, which allows you to get a much longer service life from the transmission. So in terms of value for the money, a reman transmission might be the better way to go. To learn more about the remanufactured transmission for your vehicle, click here.
